Mediterranean Sea Temperature and Depth Profiles from 1972

Mediterranean Sea bathythermograph data collected by the vessel COURTNEY between February and May 1972. The dataset contains temperature-depth profile pairs recorded at non-uniform inflection points, processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center into the standard C116 format. This historical dataset is managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Use Cases

• Analyzing historical sea temperature gradients at varying depths using temperature-depth value pairs.
• Studying the thermal structure and inflection points of the water column in a specific Mediterranean region.
• Validating or calibrating oceanographic models with cruise-based observational data from a defined time period.
• Researching seasonal temperature changes in early 1972 using the date and time stamps for each profile.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a recognized standard format (NODC C116) ensuring structured interoperability.
• Provides a specific temporal focus with profiles collected over a three-month period in 1972.
• Contains detailed inflection point data, capturing the minimum points needed to define the temperature curve accurately.

Limitations

• Key structural details are unknown, including the exact column names, row count, and file size.
• Conflicting metadata exists: one platform lists a last update in 2026, while another uses the original 1972 collection date.
• License information is not provided, which may restrict certain uses.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected using expendable bathythermograph (XBT) instruments from the vessel COURTNEY and processed by NODC.

Time Range

1972-02-09 to 1972-05-08

Freshness

2026-03-05 22:55:45.290908

Geography

Mediterranean Sea